Top 5 Controversial Prince William And Kate Middleton Royal Wedding invitees

Prince William and Kate Middleton

The inclusion of an African king, a Bahraini prince and Kate Middleton’s bawdy uncle raises eyebrows and even incites protestAs we know all too well, the Royal Wedding is far bigger, bolder, and more inflated than your average nuptials — and so is the debate over certain questionable guests. While world leaders like President Obama and former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are notably not among the 1,900 people invited, the inclusion of Middle Eastern royalty and billionaires with ties to late South American dictators is sparking controversy. Here, some of the most disputed nods:
1. Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain
Bahrain’s Crown Prince scored an invite, but, after threatened protests by human rights activists, had to change his RSVP to a “no.” As many as 31 pro-democracy demonstrators have been ****ed in Bahrain, and protesters say the prince is the “chief architect” of security forces’ brutal response to the demonstrations. “We would like to see the British government fully condemn what is going on — not invite people to a wedding who have blood on their hands,” says Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

2. King Mswati III of Swaziland
The African king lives a lavish life in a notoriously poor nation and has a curious approach to matrimony: He holds a yearly dance where he selects a new wife (he already has 13) from thousands of topless virgins. His attendance at the more traditional Royal Wedding is provoking outrage: “Whilst the king and his entourage party in luxury in London, the people of Swaziland are being pushed deeper into poverty and those who speak out face arrest and even torture,” says Tony Dykes, director of Action for Southern Africa. The British government might say they invited him because of protocol, but “if so, they are putting protocol before human rights.”

3. American media tycoon Joe Allbritton
Critics accuse Prince Charles of inviting the 86-year-old media mogul, who’s been linked to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his ******ous regime, simply because he owes Allbritton for transportation services rendered. The father of the groom has borrowed Allbritton’s Gulfstream jet for private use in the past, and plans to use it next month to fly to Washington for an official visit. It will reportedly be the first time a private individual has funded a state trip. “Accepting hospitality from controversial American billionaires is normally the preserve of [Charles'] younger brother Prince Andrew,” says Fay Schlesinger in the Daily Mail.

4) Gary Goldsmith, Kate Middleton’s wayward uncle
Reportedly, royal aides had hoped the future princess’ “black sheep” uncle would only attend the ceremony, but it seems he’s also been invited to the reception despite legitimate concerns over his bad-boy ways. Goldsmith, 45, was caught on camera two years ago cutting up what looked to be cocaine and boasting about his in with the Windsors. When hanging with Will and Kate, the wealthy property developer, who splits his time between London and Ibiza, has been known to act crudely.5) Prince William’s exes
Before there was Kate, there was Isabella (now an actress), Arabella (a Gucci PR rep), Jecca (a party events manager), Olivia (an Edinburgh University grad), Rose (the prince’s first girlfriend)… and all of them are reportedly invited to the wedding. Perhaps in the interest of gender equality, two of Kate’s exes, Willem Marx and Rupert Finch, are also said to be on the guest list.

Fresh, modern and natural — three words that sum up our newest princess and which sum up the make-up look she chose for her wedding day.
It’s a brave move to decide to do your own bridal beauty, especially when there are two billion people scrutinising your every move. This was not the time for experimenting.
But she is very good at her own make-up, and it was revealed this week that she has been taking lessons from Arabella Preston, who specialises in bridal makeovers.

Doing your own bridal beauty when two billion people are watching is a brave move

The result? Yes, there was a touch more make-up than usual. Many wouldn’t have expected a heavy hand on such an important day. Kate, after all, is a sporty, outdoorsy girl who radiates health and happiness from within.

But she got the look she wanted — which is to say, one she felt confident and comfortable with and one which her Prince would love.

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Her eye make-up, in particular, was slightly stronger than she usually wears, with a grey taupe shadow in the socket and her favourite black eyeliner under and above the eye.
Her long lashes looked fuller, but it looked like this was down to a couple of coats of mascara and not extensions. Kate stocked up with Lancome’s Hypnose Mascara last week — which can be layered for thicker, fuller lashes. We never see Kate without eyeliner but thank goodness she softened it for the wedding and didn't end up looking like Victoria Beckham

As for the eyeliner, we never see Kate without it. It has become her trademark — but thank goodness she softened it for the wedding and didn’t end up looking like Victoria Beckham, whose blacker-than-black smoky eyes made her look like a Posh panda.
Kate looked like she had a professional eyebrow shape a few days before the wedding. Her brows looked more defined, darker than usual and she probably used a fine pencil to draw in a little more shape.
Her skin was glowing — possibly thanks to the Crystal Clear Oxygen Therapy facial she had a few days ago — but the natural radiance could be enhanced by a sheer base (such as the new Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation), which is one notch above a tinted moisturiser and perfect for even the most foundation-phobic.
Her blusher, a proper bridal rose shade, looked more obvious than we’ve seen on her before, but was perfect for the cameras and will look great in the millions of pictures. Kay Montano said she would have used Chanel’s Rose Temptation, a deep pink, to get exactly the same effect.
Loose powder is a bride’s best friend and, according to Barbara Daly, who did Princess Diana’s wedding day make-up, it’s the most important item in the beauty kit.
Kate’s skin had just enough gleam under the bright lights in Westminster Abbey, with no hint of shimmer or shine, and that’s probably down to a light dusting of the finest powder applied to the bits most prone to oiliness (forehead, nose and chin).
She kept licking her lips (perhaps the only sign of nerves), but her pink toned nude lipstick stayed put throughout. It was a good choice of lip colour and won’t date in pictures.

Loose powder is a bride¿s best friend and, according to Barbara Daly, who did Princess Diana¿s wedding day make-up, it¿s the most important item in the beauty kit

Her nails had to be ready for the mother of all close-ups. Celebrity manicurist Marina Sandoval (who counts The Duchess of Cornwall among her clients) did Kate’s manicure the day before the wedding. She chose a natural look — short, beautifully shaped nails with a couple of coats of the palest pink.
When I got married, I remembered good advice from the top make-up artist Mario De Luigi, who said: ‘On your wedding day, you want to look like yourself, only better.’
We’ve come to love our natural, fresh-faced Kate and on the most important day of her life, she got it right, ready to face the future with her brilliant, beautiful smile.29

'Where are the black people?' asks Sherri Shepherd as The View hosts discuss Royal Wedding

Never mind who wore what, the View's Sherri Shepherd had another burning question about the Royal Wedding today.
'Where are the black people?' the outspoken actress, 44, asked as the panellists as they critiqued Prince William and Kate Middleton's ceremony.

The star said she had earlier searched through the footage of guests at Westminster Abbey.

Burning question: Sherri Shepherd was searching for black people at the Royal wedding on The View today

'Audrey Jones our producer was looking for the black people in the wedding and we found our Rosa Parks moment, because we were like 'where are the black people'?' she said.

'It was like where's Waldo, where are the black people?' she added.

'We found one little black child in the choir but where's the black people at this wedding?' she continued.

'Wait a minute the Calvary guy, from New York,' said Goldie Hawn, 65, who was a guest host for the day.

Hot topic: The panel discussed the Royal Ceremony today

'Well the guests, there they are,' said Sherri, pointing to a screen showing a small group of black people in the congregation.

'They are segregated but they are at the front so we have our Rosa Parks moment,' she added referring to the African-American civil rights activist Rosa Parks who refused to obey a bus driver's order to give up her seat for a white passenger on December 1, 1955.

'I don't know why they put all the black people over here but they are at the front of the wedding so I ain't complaining, they got in the front,' added Sherri.

The women also mocked the Queen and the dresses of princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

'Rosa Parks moment': Sherri pointed to a screen showing a small group of black people at the front of the congregation

Joy Behar, 68, said the Queen of England looked like: 'A bubble bee with a drinking problem,' live on air.

'Holy Moly, who wears yellow?' continued Joy.

'I've never seen a Queen wearing yellow, she looks like a taxi cabkeep that meter running Queenie,' she added.

'They look like they are auditioning for Let's Make a Deal, you know that show?' said Joy, referring to an old NBC game show where audience members used to dress in hilarious costumes, often like clowns.

'They look like horns,' said Sherri.
'Like a deer in the headlights,' added Hawn

74 Facebook updates a second: Royal Wedding swamps the web as sixth biggest online event in history

Global traffic peaks at around 1.30pm with 5.3million page views per minute

Traditional media bring out special editions to cope with demand

Whether it be old media or new there was only one story in town - the Royal Wedding.
And with such a massive focus on the ceremony between Prince William and Kate Middleton it was hardly surprising that millions turned to the internet to check out the latest details.
Global news traffic peaked at around 1.30pm this afternoon at 5.3million page views per minute according to traffic monitor Akamai.

This made it the sixth biggest event in the history of the internet - but it failed to overtake several major sporting events. During the ceremony, there were 268,777 mentions on Facebook of the wedding in the UK alone, equal to 74 every second. On Twitter - micro-blogging site - the event at its peak was mentioned 67 times a second.

Chatshow host Piers Morgan and Emma Bunton were among the celebrities who took to Twitter to congratulate the happy couple and provide a running commentary on the nuptials

Google doodle: The search engine used its home page illustration for the big day to depict a horse drawn coach being pulled through the streets of London from Westminster Abbey to a Disney-style Princess's castle

With so many people using the web during the ceremony it was little surprise that Facebook and Twitter also saw huge traffic as people updated their status or tweeted during proceedings.

THE ONLINE CELEBRITIES, BOTH ON MESSAGE AND OFF

As has become the norm with notable occasions, celebrities took to Twitter to air their views. Here are some of their messages:
TV presenter Sharon Osbourne: "Just saw Prince William & Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey. Magnificent Men. Diana would be so proud."
US burlesque artist Dita Von Teese (top): "Loving the glamour of the royal wedding. Personally, I'm glad such extravagance in tradition still exists.'

Amanda Holden: "Great atmosphere. Crowds are so polite. I feel proud to be British.'

Actor and comic James Corden (right): "I know for a fact that Kate and Wills first dance is Make You Feel My Love by Adele.'

Radio presenter Sarah Cox: "Already shed a tear at Beeb's old footage of a young Wills and his mum."

Sports presenter Clare Balding: 'Poor Posh - she is trying so hard not to smile because she doesn't like her face when she does - but she desperately wants to.'
Writer and comedian Armando Iannucci: 'Huge crowds already gathering in London for next Thursday's referendum.'

Comedian David Baddiel: "Glad Prince Harry got the fancy dress right this time."

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly: "Got to love Harry - he looks a bit hungover and his hair is mad. Her Maj is glorious in yellow - never puts a foot wrong."

Broadcaster and wit Stephen Fry (choosing to watch the Snooker World Championship instead): "Sh! Frame 14 under way. You could cut the tension with a Black and Decker tension cutter."
And the front page of today's Evening Standard

During the ceremony, there were 268,777 mentions of the wedding in the UK alone, equal to 74 every second.

On Twitter - the micro-blogging site - the event at its peak was mentioned 67 times a second.

In the more traditional media, newspapers put on huge print runs and brought out special evening editions to cover the ceremony.

Even British troops serving in Afghanistan used the internet to send their best wishes to the royal couple.
The UK military media operations team based at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province said: 'Everyone in Afghanistan is hard at work, but the telly is on and we are watching where we can. Congratulations to William and Kate.'
Trending topics on Twitter as well as on Facebook were dominated by the wedding. Terms included Westminster Abbey, Prince William, Kate Middleton as well as Camilla and Jerusalem, the hymn written by William Blake and Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.

Interestingly, the hashtag 'proudtobebritish' also became a trending topic with the former England captain Michael Vaughan adding his thoughts.

Some 10,600 allusions to Kate's dress were recorded among UK users during the ceremony, with 4,583 comments on Sir Elton John singing along.

As the first major event of the social media age was played out, users of the site poured their excitement about it straight on to the web pages.

The number of visitors to MailOnline began climbing from early morning reaching a peak when the happy couple kissed on the balcony at Buckingham Palace in the early afternoon. At that point the website recorded twice its usual amount of traffic. The same pattern was seen in the U.S.

The BBC website, with a live stream reporting the wedding proceedings, struggled under its weight of traffic and crashed at one point.

This led it to issue a statement confirming it was 'experiencing some technical issues with BBC online. We're investigating and will update when we have more information.'
For the more conventional press, the Royal Wedding meant breaking with tradition.

The capital's Evening Standard published a souvenir edition in spite of the Bank Holiday while the Daily Telegraph put out a special evening edition.

As has become the norm with notable occasions celebrities shared their thoughts on the unfolding day by posting a series of messages online.
Some were complimentary and others less so.

However the broadcaster Stephen Fry (choosing to watch the Snooker World Championship instead) wrote: "Sh! Frame 14 under way. You could cut the tension with a Black and Decker tension cutter.'
While a Victoria Beckham was lucky to receive a coveted invite to the Abbey, her former Spice Girl bandmate Emma Bunton was forced to watch the occasion on TV like millions of others.
'Absolutely beautiful couple!!! They look exquisite!', she tweeted.
TV presenter Myleene Klass added: 'The kiss Awww. The flyover.. nearly lost a finger trying to swing the patio door open to catch it!'

The wedding even captured the attention of teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber who also singled out Kate's sister Pippa for a special mention: 'Congrats to William and Kate and Kate's sister.'

Footballer Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen added: 'Congratulations Kate and William. May you have a very happy life together.'
By the time the newlyweds emerged for the procession to Buckingham Palace, the number of mentions by users around the country had hit 1,199,196, Facebook said.

Less predictable, perhaps, was the fact that during the ceremony, Prince Harry was talked about more than his brother by UK users.

Other royal wedding-related terms that featured prominently in Facebook status updates on Friday included 'God Save the Queen', 'Union Jack' and 'British monarchy'.

A surprise hit of the day was ITV presenter Mark Austin proved to be hugely popular with viewers after he was swamped by the crowds outside Buckingham Palace.

So many fans used his name on networking site Twitter that it became one of the most-used terms this afternoon when it started 'trending'.

Some viewers posted light-hearted messages expressing concern for his welfare as he disappeared into the crowd, wondering where he had gone.

Others thought he was the highlight of the coverage.

'Mark Austin has absolutely stolen the show for me this morning, the combination of live coverage and a man on the edge is great to watch,' wrote one viewer.

'I've seen reporters in war zones look less terrified than Mark Austin among the crowd at the royal wedding,' wrote another.

The wedding was also watched by U.S. teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber who congratulated the royal couple, but also singled out Kate's sister Pippa for a special mention